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How Greig Fraser ACS, ASC Created the Epic “Dune” Sun with Creamsource Vortex

Creamsource has posted an interesting video where cinematographer Greig Fraser ACS, ASC breaks down the visual and lighting approach behind Dune: Part Two, from the film’s colour journey (Caladan to Giedi Prime to Arrakis) to the practical challenge of creating a realistic “sun” on set.

Fraser talks about building sharp, clean shafts of light, the problem of matching (or augmenting) the sun, and how the team used Creamsource Vortex fixtures, culminating in a custom build of 64 Vortex8 units (the “Vortex 512”) to create an intense, controllable sun source for Arrakis. The Vortex 512 was used to create sharp shafts of light in interior scenes and to simulate a soft sunrise for the film’s final battle scene by adjusting the power and color temperature of the LEDs.

Topics Covered

  • 00:04 – Denis’ journey to make Dune
  • 00:13 – Honoring Denis’ vision
  • 00:34 – Playing with color and saturation
  • 00:48 – Caladan to Giedi Prime to Arrakis: the color arc
  • 01:13 – Arrakis exteriors – a harsh environment
  • 02:40 – Designing sharp shafts of light
  • 02:48 – Greig on using Creamsource Vortex
  • 03:33 – The eternal problem: “trying to match the sun”
  • 03:58 – “We used the Creamsources to create the sun”
  • 04:08 – Joining enough Vortexes to reach “soft sun” levels
  • 04:17 – Building 64 Vortex8 = “Vortex 512”
  • 05:38 – The practical challenge of shooting a sunrise
  • 05:53 – The Vortex 512 as the controllable “sun” solution
  • 06:11 – The true power output of Vortex
  • 08:13 – Creamsource thinking like tech + lighting company
  • 08:54 – One light doing “30 different jobs” over a movie
  • 08:59 – How Creamsource excels

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